Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.

Earlier on Friday, the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM had announced the death of 22 soldiers from the UAE in Yemen while taking part in the Saudi aggression against Yemen. The news agency later put the death toll at 45, saying 23 forces had succumbed to their injuries.

The Emirati troops were killed in an arms depot blast at a military base in Safer in oil-rich Marib Province, 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of the capital Sana'a, a source at the scene said. The Ansarullah fighters said the blast was caused by a rocket attack.

In a separate attack, at least 16 Saudi soldiers were killed in an ambush by Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah fighters and their allied army units near the Mash’al base in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan region.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia spearheaded a deadly aggression against Yemen with cooperation from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and several other countries – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to Yemen’s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The conflict has so far left about 4,500 people dead and more than 22,000 others wounded, the UN says. Local Yemeni sources, however, say the fatality figure is much higher.

The UN has repeatedly voiced concern over the rising number of civilian casualties in the Saudi military aggression against the impoverished Arab country.

Aleppo ~Local sources from the town of Mare’a in Aleppo province’s countryside confirmed on Tuesday that ISIS attacked the town once again with dozens of shells containing toxic materials.

Activists on social media sites said that ISIS uses toxic gas in its attacks on the town on Tuesday, including mustard gas, delivered via heavy artillery shells, and that these attacks caused dozens of cases of asphyxiation among locals and that the town became filled of strong, unpleasant odors.

the latest version of Turkey’s prospective “safe”, “buffer” or “ISIL-free” zone in north Syria starts from Mare’a town. in fact, davutoglu and erdogan keep referring to it as the “Mare’a-Jarablus line” – (Map by TRT World.com)

ISIS attacked Mare’a with shells containing chemicals on August 22nd, causing causes of asphyxiation, and recent reports by international investigators and technicians revealed that ISIS had also carried out two chemical attacks on Tal Barrak and Hasaka in Syria.

Moscow: Reports about the use of chemical weapons by ISIS in Syria, Iraq

Moscow ~ Spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that many reports of different sources talked lately about the use of chemical weapons by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq against government forces and civilians.

“The situation has deteriorated, if compared with the last year, when first cases were registered about the use of poisonous materials by extremist forces,” Zakharova said at a weekly press conference, adding that the use of extremists for these materials has acquired a large-scale, systematized and beyond-border feature.

She affirmed that it is possible that this form of terrorist activity would expand beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq and even beyond the borders of the Middle East in the worst cases.

“In this regard, we see that the UN Security Council has to take a suitable reaction to this danger,” Zakharova said, adding that it is not probable for the Security Council and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to remain silent towards the terrorist, beyond-border chemical activity.

She affirmed the Russian support to Syria in combating terrorism.

“Concerning the technical, military cooperation between Russia and Syria, it was not a secret at all… this is our principled track to offer an aid to Damascus in order to fight terrorism,” Zakharova added.

On the mission of UN Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, Zakharova said “we see it is useful for de Mistura and his team to work and cooperate firmly with regional sides, mainly with Damascus.”

Over the past few weeks, Lebanon has found itself embroiled in protests and social unrest the likes of which it has not experienced since 2005. The original issue, legitimate as it may be, surrounded the issue of lack of garbage disposal, yet the protests were soon infiltrated and morphed into an exercise of public rage over shadowy issues like “government corruption.” These protests have gone from peaceful demonstrations to violent clashes between demonstrators and police, with “infiltrators” largely responsible for provocative behavior.

Sectarian tensions are now beginning to surface, a very real fear and dangerous proposition in Lebanon, with members of the “movement” typically resorting to association with tribal identity groups (Christians with Christians, Sunni Muslims with Sunni Muslims, etc.) even during the protests.

As I mentioned in my article, “Color Revolution In Lebanon Designed To Weaken Hezbollah, Syria, Iran,” all of these aspects – shadowy reasons like “government corruption” for protesting, lack of demands, violence, and infiltrators – are hallmarks of a color revolution. So are the clever marketing strategies of “Branding” that see a protest movement, allegedly organic and spread across so many differing and various sectarian groups, develop a mutually agreed upon name for itself so early on.

The most telling aspect of whether or not a movement is actually a color revolution, however, is the “leadership” of that movement and the connections that leadership may have to the color revolution apparatus.

In the case of the You Stink! Movement, those connections are becoming increasingly visible.

Assadd Thebian is represented as one of the leaders of the You Stink! Movement by a number of Western press outlets and, in the Lebanese Press outlet, the Daily Star, he is described as being the “co-founder” of You Stink! Yet, far from being a truly organic Lebanese revolutionary, Thebian is closely connected to the United States Department of State.

Thebian is a participant in the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a program directed by the US State Department for the purposes of directing NGOs in foreign countries in order to facilitate US foreign policy. In other words, the MEPI is yet another program and initiative in the color revolution apparatus.

The same year as its creation, Liz Cheney, daughter of Dick Cheney, was appointed as supervisor of MEPI per her position as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary For Near Eastern Affairs. Under Cheney’s direction, MEPI engaged in teaching methods designed to “train Arab journalists” and “teach children,” presumably in the benefits of US Foreign Policy as well as encourage nations within MEPI’s sphere of influence to sign various Free Trade agreements with the United States and move toward a Middle Eastern Free Trade Zone.

A year later in 2003, MEPI announced that it was going to engage in a “detoxification” program designed to improve Palestinian and other Arab countries’ presentation of Israelis in textbooks.

In 2015, MEPI’s main task is to support and “increase the capacity of civil society organizations” meaning NGOs operating in the countries under its purview. As Foreign Policy describes MEPI, it is “a $150 million program to advance democracy in the Middle East, which promotes programs for female literacy and health, as well as business and political training, as a model for more activist, pro-women policies in other parts of the world.”

Of course, “democracy” should be placed in square quotes. “Democracy” as promoted by MEPI and the West is nothing short of imperialism and Anglo-American domination. Notice also that the “pro-woman” aspect of MEPI is designed to promote “activist” policies amongst women, meaning MEPI is in the business of culture creation at best and social upheaval at worst. MEPI’s focus is not just women, of course, but “youth” in general.

MEPI states on its own website that “MEPI supports organizations and individuals in their efforts to promote political, economic, and social reform in the Middle East and North Africa.”

MEPI’s alumni boast of a number of political figures in the Middle East and a number of individuals also associated with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a notorious color revolution and destabilization organization connected to the NED and the State Department.

MEPI is precisely the program in which Thebian is an alumni, having given a speech at the MEPI Lebanese Alumni Association Annual Dinner in January 2014.

Other leaders are just as openly involved in the color revolution apparatus as Thebian. Michel Elefteriades, for instance, was a participant in the 2005 Cedar Revolution and a “key militant at Martyr’s Square.” Elefteriades states that the You Stink! Movement is not just another color revolution but, in the same breath, admits that the goal of the movement is full of anarchic elements, a push for decentralization, and an intention to collapse the system of government. Elefteriades makes no mention of what should be put in place of the existing order and it appears that not a single activist on the ground is able to do so either.

Elefteriades states:

There is an awakening of democratic awareness, and it has been a very long time since Lebanon has not come out of these political parties and religious sects to ask that all political leaders be punished or sidelined.[…]It’s a sort of popular revolution, a mix of many movements – some anarchic in the good philosophical sense such as the refusal of the centralised power – it’s really a grassroots movement so I don’t think its going to stop. The movement will grow.

The goal of the protests, he says is “To bring the collapse of a system that has been in place for decades.” He blames the crisis on a “rotten political class” and the use of “confessionalism” as a governing structure.

While it must be admitted that confessionalism, a form of government where parliamentary seats and political offices are proportioned out according to religious demographics in the country, is an incredibly inefficient and undemocratic way to govern a country, the governing structure exists as a result of intense Western meddling in the internal affairs of Lebanon by the West and by members of the general public so obstinate in their own religious beliefs that they often insist on governance based on that particular religion. It is a fragile government designed to maintain the fragile fabric of a fragile society.

The answer, of course, is to keep religion out of politics and promote a secular government that respects the rights of all. But Elefteriades does not demand such a government, only the destruction of the one currently standing.

Indeed, during the 2005 Cedar Revolution, Elefteriades was an instrumental player in the color revolution as an activist figure, even working closely with CANVAS, a notorious Western color revolution organization. CANVAS was so active during the Cedar Revolution that it now takes credit for the movement’s success.

Lucien Bourjeily, is also hailed as a leading figure in the You Stink! Movement. Bourjeily, however, has long ago revealed himself as a supporter of Western backed destabilization and destruction of sovereign countries by his “66 Minutes In Damascus,” a strange interactive theatre play that transformed the theatre into a “Syrian prison” and the audience into “prisoners.” The goal of the play was to drum up hatred against the “totalitarian” Assad regime and promote the “moderate rebels” who beheaded, murdered, and raped their way across Syria in search of “democracy and freedom.”

Not only that but Bourjeily himself is directly connected to the color revolution apparatus as his own play, “Will It Pass Or Not?” was produced by March, a Lebanese NGO whose partner is USAID.

Laughably, Walid Jumblatt is expressing support for the You Stink! Movement, criticizing the movement’s critics and expressing support for the movement while, at the same time, doing little to address the legitimate issues which begat the initial protests. If any Lebanese politician truly exhibited the term “You Stink!” it would be Jumblatt. It must be remembered that it was Jumblatt who extolled the virtues of the Syrian destabilization, demonized Assad, and has continually justified and praised al-Nusra.

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine said jokingly: “I met a kid in Beirut. He told me that he is going to get a job at some European NGO. His duty would be to help to destabilize Lebanon”.

She named the country funding the NGO, but I’d rather not mention it here, in order not to add more oil to fire. We had a good laugh then, but it does not appear too funny, anymore.

Yesterday she told me: “Security forces fired at him.”

He was there. He was not bragging. It was not a joke.

Unfortunately, Vltchek declined to mention the country from which this NGO is funded. However, paragraphs later, we may find a clue. Vltchek states:

Demands appear to be legitimate.But in Lebanon, one cannot be certain of what lies below the surface. There are rumors that each religious group is now sending its fighters to the barricades.For years and decades, competing political interests are pulling this tiny country in different directions.“I spotted a guy who was protesting and who was obviously a British”, a diplomat based in Beirut who did not want to be identified, told me. “He was not a reporter, he was actually one of the protesters! And he spoke no Arabic. There are many bizarre characters at the protests.”Who is who and who is with whom, is often extremely difficult to define.

While the You Stink! Movement initially seemed to exhibit many of the characteristics of a color revolution, the nature of the protests are even clearer after examining the individuals participating and directing the protests on the ground.

It remains to be seen how far the color revolution will go in Lebanon. After all, the previous attempt in Lebanon in 2005 was successful. Only time will tell whether or not the West will succeed in bringing Lebanon down into levels of chaos and terror currently being witnessed Syria. For the sake of the Lebanese people and the people of the Middle East we must hope that rational actors will appear and put an end to the apparently Western-backed chaos taking place across the country.

A group of demonstrators gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Labor on Friday to stress their demands that they have been calling for since two weeks.

A statement of the August-29 follow-up committee called for holding the Lebanese authorities accountable over stealing the public money; the resignation of the Minister of Environment; the return of the Independent Municipal Fund money, and holding elections in accordance with the law of proportionality.

The committee also called on citizens to participate in the central sit-in on September 9.

In the meantime, another group of Lebanese citizens held a protest in Ein Al-Mreisa to reject parking meters on the seafront promenade.

The protestors moved to the Interior Ministry after security forces arrested two of them in the place, and said they wouldn't leave until the release of two youngmen.
About 3 hours later, the two demonstrators were set free under a proof of residence, the National News Agency reported.

Also in Riad Solh in central Beirut, a number of citizens staged a sit-in demanding a regime reform.

‘Australians for Reconciliation in Syria’ (AMRIS) condemns Australian participation in an illegal war in Syria

Following a meeting in Melbourne Australia of “Australians for Reconciliation in Syria” (AMRIS) today, 3 September 2015, spokesperson David Macilwain said that AMRIS unequivocally condemns atrocities committed by ‘Islamic State’ in Syria.AMRIS deplores, however, the decision by the Australian Government to follow the lead of the United States in taking military action against IS within the borders of Syria, one of the founding members of the United Nations, without the consent of the Syrian Government.

Mr Macilwain said,“Such action will do little to ‘degrade and destroy’ the terrorist group, whose control over territory has only continued to increase despite a year of US Coalition airstrikes. Furthermore there have been significant civilian casualties and damage as a result of those airstrikes, leading to further refugee flows.”

“While Australian involvement in the campaign in Syria will do little to change this situation, culpability for ‘collateral damage’ sustained within Syrian sovereign territory could bring us before the ICC,” added Mr Macilwain.

“Rather than looking for an alternative pretext that might be legal, such as the ‘responsibility to protect’ Iraqis, AMRIS proposes a clear alternative – cooperation with the Syrian Army in its fight against IS and other terrorist groups.”

“AMRIS also considers that if the Australian government is genuine in its desire and commitment to defeat IS, Al Qaeda and allied terrorist groups in Syria, and seeks to restore peace and security such that refugees can return, then it must be prepared to work in cooperation with the Syrian government and security forces. Such a commitment also entails the recognition of that government as legally constituted and representing the majority of the Syrian population, as mandated in the election of June 2014.” [1]

Mr Macilwain further stated,“In the absence of such cooperation with the Syrian authorities, Australian military intervention in the Syrian conflict will be neither legal nor moral, regardless of the stated target and pretext. The consequences of such an illegal intervention, which under international law constitutes the ‘supreme crime’ of launching a war of aggression, would be both inconceivable and uncontrollable.”

“AMRIS demands that there must be a full disclosure of the objectives, conditions and limitations of this intervention, subject to a parliamentary debate and public scrutiny before this apparent decision to take us to war is finalised.”

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday, Putin said Russia has frequently warned of major problems for Europe as a result of the West’s wrong policies as well as the spread of terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa.

“We in Russia … a few years ago said it straight that pervasive problems would emerge if our so-called Western partners continue maintaining their flawed ... foreign policy, especially in the regions of the Muslim world, Middle East, [and] North Africa, which they pursue to date,” Putin said.

He added that the current refugee crisis in the EU doesn’t come as a surprise, saying it was “absolutely expected.”

Putin said that the main flaw of the West’s foreign policy is the imposition of their own standards worldwide without taking into account the historical, religious, national and cultural characteristics of regions.

The Russian president said the only way to tackle the refugee flow into Europe is to uproot terrorism while maintaining terror-hit countries’ sovereignty and dismissed any unilateral act in that regard.

“If we act unilaterally and argue about the quasi-democratic principles and procedures for certain areas, that will lead us to an even greater impasse,”Putin concluded.

The Russian president’s remarks come as Europe is facing an unprecedented immigration and refugee crisis, which has escalated over summer. Refugees are coming directly to Europe instead of staying in camps in neighboring countries.

The continent is now divided over how to deal with a flood of people, mainly Syrians fleeing war in their homeland.

The European Union (EU) is to convene a special meeting in two weeks to discuss a record surge in numbers and the opening up of new routes over the Balkans in addition to the Mediterranean Sea route.